Completed Play-by-Post: In Search of the Sorcerer

[Llywelyn ap Gruffydd]

Cormac Grabs a flask of the funky yellow liquid before he follows the group.

 

[nikolokolus]

Rhenmyr pads as quietly as he can up the stone steps without too much difficulty. About half-way up you start to notice a faint greenish-white light filtering down the stairwell, as you continue to ascend it gets slightly brighter. After about a minute of quiet ascent you reach the top of the stairs and carefully peek through the door at the top of the stairwell and notices the source of the strange light.

In the middle of this open room is a shallow recess - what appears to be a laboratory of some sort. In a semi-circular arrangement at the edge of this recess you spy 6 stone pedestals about 3 feet tall and about 4 feet wide. Four of the pedestals are empty or have a pile of broken glass, but two of these pedestals hold great glass vats about 6 feet tall and appear to contain a phosphorescent fluid that fills the vaulted chamber with the eerie light.

Notably there is a slowly writhing mass of large black vines, some as thick as man's leg in the middle of the recess.

 

[Grimgravy]

Rhenmyr falls back a bit, signals the others, and explains what he saw. "With all those vines, we might need more fire. But, I'll defer to our Druid."

 

[Helly]

Ker checks the vines trying to recognize the species. "Let me check them before we actually burn them, comrade."

 

[nikolokolus]

OOC

How is Ker checking the vines?

OOC2

For anybody wondering how you could know the position of stairs that go up beyond the room above, it's position is inferred. It's clear that's where they are by looking while ascending, you can see the underside of the stone steps.

 

[Helly]

After his adventure with the vine-man, Ker is a bit wary and he stays on its guard at arm length while trying to recognize the plant without touching it.

 

[nikolokolus]

Following Rhenmyr's lead, Ker pads quietly up the stairs and peeks through the door into the chamber beyond. The writhing mass of vines is about 30 feet from the door and the details are difficult to make out in the weak light eminating from the vats. (Roll a 3d6 Intelligence check to see if you recognize anything else about the vines).

 

[Helly]

Spoiler

Checking the vines [3d6] = 13
Ker did bring his lantern, so it shouldn't be that dark I believe!

 

[nikolokolus]

Spoiler

Checking the vines [3d6] = 13
Ker did bring his lantern, so it shouldn't be that dark I believe!

OOC

I assumed you were trying to be stealthy, if you want to say you had your lantern lit I can take that into account . . .

Ker's cursory glance at the vines and tendrils brings to mind a tale your mentor told you about a grove deep in the Coedwyg Cyfnos that fell under the baleful influence of "The Weird." A place infested with man-eating vines that would snatch living creatures, squeeze them to death and then consume them. To the best of your recollection the old Druid didn't give the abomination a name, but he did warn you that they it was powerful enough to kill a black bear that wandered too close to its lethal embrace. He mentioned that the rubbery tendrils were iron hard and oozed a noxious, greasy excretion that made the plant particularly tough to burn.

 

[Grimgravy]

OOC

Gah! So much for fire purging all.

 

[Helly]

"Forget about fire, and don't get close. These are no ordinary vines... For now, we should stay far away from those, let's try another way."

Spoiler

You're too nice

 

[Grimgravy]

"Any idea how far those vines might be able to reach?" Rhenmyr stows his spear and readies his axe. Then edges into the room going to check the door just south of where they entered the room.

 

[nikolokolus]

As Rhenmyr enters the room a mass of tentacles rear up from the center of the shallow recess and sway back and forth. If you didn't know better you'd almost say it reminded you of a dog rearing its head to sniff the air.

 

[Grimgravy]

OOC

How long is this mass? Could it reach all the way to the wall?

 

[nikolokolus]

OOC

How long is this mass? Could it reach all the way to the wall?

OOC

It's tough to say. It's coiled and doubled over on itself in the center of the room. Your best guess is that if a tendril stretched to its utmost it could probably touch any part of the room . . . or perhaps not?

 

[Grimgravy]

Rhenmyr freezes when the vines rear up. He waits for any further reaction, ready to dive back to the dubious safety of the stairs.

 

[Llywelyn ap Gruffydd]

Cormac stays to the rear with his club in his hands.

 

[nikolokolus]

Rhenmyr freezes in his tracks, holds his breath while his heart beats furiously in his chest. After a tense minute, the wavering tentacles lower slowly into the declivity and resume their repose.

 

[Grimgravy]

Rhenmyr waits a moment after the tentacles relax. He then inches towards the door to the south while keeping an eye on the vines.

 

[nikolokolus]

To Rhenmyr's relief there is no movement from the center of the wide circular chamber and he gets to the ajar door without incident. Looking within reveals a storage closet with several curiosities: 4 wood barrels in a corner, coils of copper tubes hanging from the wall, empty glass beakers on shelves, 5 small clay urns sealed with tar and shortish copper rods sticking out of the seal and a large, empty, copper cauldron tilted over on its side.

 

[Grimgravy]

Rhenmyr investigates the barrels and clay urns more closely.

 

[nikolokolus]

The clay urns are about knee high and about a handspan across, they are completely sealed and don't look as if they are meant to be opened. The barrels each have a cork stopper in the center of their lid.

 

[Siveon]

Marcán inches close to the door and rears out his head. "Rhenmyr, you find anything?" he whispers.

 

[Grimgravy]

"Nothing that makes sense at first glance. Wizard stuff. Come take a look." Rhenmyr whispers in reply.

 

[Siveon]

Marcán beckons the rest of the team with a hand gesture and carefully walks to the closet.